A lot of Michigan State basketball fans may have hit a panic button on Monday night as the Spartans were up by just three at halftime. It felt a lot like that James Madison game a couple of years ago, but at least this time, Michigan State led throughout.
Fortunately, the Spartans were able to pull away in the second half, building a healthy lead and almost looking like they were going to cover the 22.5-point spread at one point, but poor defense led to Colgate making things interesting.
Tom Izzo isn’t panicked after the performance, though. He’s mad.
Izzo must have seen how Jonathan Smith does his press conferences with a monotone voice, blank stare, and lack of emotion, and did the exact opposite. He was visibly angry at how his team played, saying that they’re upperclassmen need to play better.
Tom Izzo: "I'm not panicking. I'm mad. We have some upperclassmen that need to be playing better. When it is your time to shine here as an upperclassmen, you have to. Don't think tonight I won't look in the mirror and ask myself (how I have been coaching them)."
— Emmett Matasovsky (@E_Matasovsky57) November 4, 2025
Hearing a coach not only take accountability, but also show frustration with a poor performance is refreshing, and eight nine games of Smith this year really make you appreciate Izzo that much more.
The Hall of Fame head coach was pretty angry with his team’s lackluster showing, and if he’s this mad after an 11-point win over a solid Colgate team, just imagine how high he believes the Spartans’ ceiling truly is. This team is still trying to gel, so there will be some growing pains, but it’s clear that there’s a ton of work to do, and Izzo is ready to get the guys back to work before Arkansas.
A “mad” Tom Izzo is a bad thing for the rest of college basketball.